


A Different Kind of Revenge

by Anonymous



Category: Avatar: The Last Airbender
Genre: Gen, Tickling
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-08-25
Updated: 2020-08-25
Packaged: 2021-03-06 18:34:21
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 825
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26113489
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/
Summary: Toph finally gets her revenge… but not in the way Zuko expects.
Relationships: Toph Beifong & Zuko
Comments: 3
Kudos: 60
Collections: Anonymous





	A Different Kind of Revenge

“Sparky, you know I’m not gonna hurt you right?” Toph asked about a week after the burning. By that point, her feet were healed, thanks in large part to Katara’s abilities.

“Um, right,” Zuko answered hesitantly. Toph frowned at the ground, sensing his lie. She knew she’d promised to get payback, but she hadn’t expected him to take it so seriously.

Then again, maybe she should have. She’d heard rumors of the prince before. Word of his banishment had spread through the Earth Kingdom, along with several unsavory details. Plenty were quick to dismiss the tale, assuming it to be heavily embellished, but based on the way Zuko’s heart always raced, Toph decided it must have been more fact than fiction.

Which only made her feel worse about her threat.

“Dammit,” she cursed under her breath. Meanwhile, Zuko lingered, cautiously confused. Hearing his pulse spiking with anxiety, Toph concluded she had to put the issue to rest.

“So… is that it?” Zuko eventually spoke up, unsure what to make of the earthbender’s silence. Apparently it was enough to pull her out of her thoughts, as she immediately straightened up, a determined look on her face.

“Come with me,” she ordered suddenly, then started marching deeper into the temple. Zuko followed, though his nervousness grew, as he suspected Toph was about to make good on her word.

Soon enough, his suspicions proved correct.

Just not in a way he’d anticipated.

* * *

“I’m not going to injure you,” Toph emphasized, though she knew her current setup wasn’t particularly reassuring. She’d made Zuko sit with his legs stretched out, then promptly encased his ankles in rock.

“Then can you just tell me what you _are_ going to do?!” Zuko finally snapped, only to shrink back. “Uh- Wait- I mean-”

“Relax!” Toph beamed, pleased by the outburst. “Good to know you’ve still got a spine, at least.” At that, Zuko scowled, insulted. He didn’t have long to dwell on it, however, as Toph proceeded to tug off his shoes.

She haphazardly tossed them aside, then reshaped the earth around his feet. When she was done, Zuko tested his bonds, paling when he realized he’d basically been immobilized. He had no wiggle room left below his knees; even his toes had been encased.

“Toph, seriously, what are you do- Eep!” Zuko jumped at a touch on his sole. His entire body tensed when the touch started moving, swirling a circle in the center of his foot.

Toph was expressionless until she was smirking. “Ha! I knew you’d be ticklish!” Having confirmed that simple guess, she transitioned from one finger to all five.

“Wahahait!” Zuko burst out laughing. “S-Stohohohoppit!” He quickly fell back against the floor, clutching his midsection for lack of options.

“Not so tough now are ya, Princey?” Toph taunted as she scratched his left sole. Her fingers tickled upwards from his heel, then drifted back down to repeat the motion. “I figured this would make us even. You messed with my feet, so I’m messing with yours.” She then switched over to his right sole, skittering her nails across the arch.

“Nohohoho! Thahahat’s nohohot-! Ahahahahahah!” Zuko wanted to say it wasn’t fair. If he were being realistic, though, it was probably the fairest possible outcome. “Hohow lohohong?!” he tried instead.

“Until I’m satisfied, obviously.” Toph soon proved herself to be quite ruthless, escalating to tickling both feet at once.

“GahaHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!” Zuko pulled at his hair. It was barely effective as a distraction, but there was little else he could do. He couldn’t remember the last time he’d been tickled. Now, as a consequence, he had no resistance to it. 

“TOHOHOPH!”

“That’s my name. Did you need something?” she questioned playfully.

“DOHOHOHON’T!”

“Don’t what?”

Zuko blushed, failing to respond.

“Hold on,” Toph said a beat later. “Are you really too embarrassed to say the word _tickle?”_ When the only answer she received was a renewed fit of laughter, her face split into a huge grin. “Spirits… _that’s just adorable.”_

_“SHUHUHUT UHUHUP!”_ Zuko protested through cackles. A few more minutes passed in this manner, as Toph continued to banter while tickling him to pieces. 

“I can’t believe the others were ever scared of you,” she snorted. “Maybe I should just tell them how ticklish you are.” She paused briefly, perhaps mulling it over. “…or I could just invite them here right now. They deserve some payback, too, right?”

Toph didn’t need to see Zuko to sense his terror. 

She let him flounder for a couple seconds, then snickered, dropping the act. “Don’t worry, Sparky. I’m just kidding. I wouldn’t want you to actually combust. Anyway, I’ve had my revenge. Consider yourself off the hook.” With that, she waved her arms, freeing Zuko within a matter of moments. 

Casually stepping closer to reach out a hand, Toph smiled when Zuko didn’t hesitate to take it. She helped him off the ground, then punched him in the arm.

“Ow!”

“Welcome to the team.”

**Author's Note:**

> Kudos and comments are all very much appreciated!
> 
> More tickle fics including this one are available on my tumblr, [tickly-tufts](https://tickly-tufts.tumblr.com/masterlist)!


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